Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines.
Consequently, shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability to the operator. In the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games, or improved gaming enhancements, which will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is that of a “bonus” game which may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, and is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome of the basic game. Such a bonus game produces a significantly higher level of player excitement than the basic game because it provides a greater expectation of winning than the basic game.
Another concept that has been employed is the use of a progressive jackpot. In the gaming industry, a “progressive” involves collecting coin-in data from participating gaming device(s) (e.g., slot machines), contributing a percentage of that coin-in data to a jackpot amount, and awarding that jackpot amount to a player upon the occurrence of a certain jackpot-won event. The percentage of the coin-in is determined prior to any result being achieved and is independent of any result. A jackpot-won event typically occurs when a “progressive winning position” is achieved at a participating gaming device. If the gaming device is a slot machine, a progressive winning position may, for example, correspond to alignment of progressive jackpot reel symbols along a certain payline. The initial progressive jackpot is a predetermined minimum amount. That jackpot amount, however, progressively increases as players continue to play the gaming machine without winning the jackpot. Further, when several gaming machines are linked together such that several players at several gaming machines compete for the same jackpot, the jackpot progressively increases at a much faster rate, which leads to further player excitement.
However, even in current wagering games, a player is provided with little incentive to return to the game at a later time. Once the player chooses to stop playing a game, the player is immediately awarded any credits that are remaining and also loses assets that have been accumulated, but not yet awarded. For example, in some games, a player is allowed to collect assets and when a certain number or combination of assets is accumulated, the player wins an award. However, should the player choose to leave the game prior to winning the award, the player loses all of the assets accumulated. This can cause player frustration and does not provide the player with any incentive to return to the game.
Thus, there is a need to allow a player to accumulate assets at gaming machines and to have those assets restored to them should the player return to the game at a later time. Furthermore, there is a need to allow players to use such assets in a manner that encourages players to return to a particular game or series of games.
One way of keeping players interested and coming back to a particular game or series of games is to add various features to the games that make the games more exciting. These features can include offering increased awards, more game play and new and different ways to win. In particular, a feature that allows a player to use assets to get larger and/or extra awards at different gaming machines keep players interested and increases the probability that they will return at a later time.
For example, in the Monopoly™ board game wagering game, players are allowed to collect and save assets that can be used with that particular board game under a basic set of rules. Further enhancement of these games would provide modifiers to the basic set of rules that allow players to use such assets at other Monopoly™ board game wagering games, including games that are part of the series of Monopoly™ board game wagering games. In fact, some assets may only be used at particular Monopoly™ board game wagering games, so that players will be required to play other games to redeem those assets. This encourages players to play several Monopoly™ games in a series to find the ones that will give the most rewards for the assets that they have collected. Moreover, the modifiers to the basic set of rules may also allow players to gain extra rewards, extend game play, and enjoy other such enhancements, thus making game play more exciting.
Thus, the present invention increases the level of excitement and anticipation associated with playing wagering games, and thus encourages players to return to certain wagering games, by modifying the basic set of rules of the wagering game such that the assets that are collected and saved can be modified to enhance those assets, and the rewards associated with them, and to provide new assets that can be used at other gaming machines.